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Tampa Bay Tech wide receiver Daquon Green has committed to Florida, the rising junior announced via Twitter on Friday. Green, who was ranked fourth in this year's HomeTeam 100, is a four-star recruit who plays on both sides of the ball for the Titans. In his first two seasons, Green ...Read more

Berkeley Prep shortstop Spencer Myers has committed to Notre Dame, Bucs coach Richie Warren said. Myers, a rising junior, had the second-best batting average on the team this past spring, hitting .267 with eight RBIs and three triples. He also led the Bucs with 14 stolen bases. The 5-foot-11, 160-pound ...Read more

Robinson defensive end Keldric Preston has committed to Wisconsin, the rising senior announced on BrightHouse Sports Network on Monday night. Preston, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound three-star recruit, chose the Badgers from among 18 offers, including ones from USF, Louisville and Miami. Despite his recruitment by some of the top programs in ...Read more

Pasco tight end/defensive end Nick Bryant committed to Middle Tennessee State this past weekend during his visit. “It just feels like home,” Bryant said. “The coaching staff is perfect. The campus is super nice. We just got a bunch of great recruits and a phenomenal quarterback recruit. I will be ...Read more

Grayson Stover didn’t necessarily plan it this way, but he decided to come off the recruiting market by committing to Virginia on Wednesday. “It just felt right, and (Virginia) had been filling up with offensive linemen,” Stover said. “I didn't want to miss the opportunity especially since they have been ...Read more

Wharton receiver Devontres Dukes announced he had committed to UCF this weekend. Dukes, rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports, had five offers, including NC State and Toledo. He picked the Knights in large part because of the school’s proximity. “The majority of my family lives in the Orlando area ...Read more

Countryside offensive lineman Wyatt Panaccione committed to Florida International on Wednesday. Panaccione, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound senior, picked the Panthers two days after they became the first school to extend an offer. “The coaches were great,” Panaccione said. “We could have a really good offensive line class. They really wanted me. ...Read more

St. Petersburg Catholic’s Becky Cleppe signed to be a thrower for William Penn’s track and field team. Cleppe, who recently graduated, throws the javelin, shot put and discus. This season, she placed fifth in the shot put and discus at the Class 1A, District 10 meet. Cleppe lettered all four ...Read more

Plant DB Johayward "Scoop" Bradshaw has committed to Syracuse, coach Robert Weiner said. Bradshaw, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound rising senior, is the second Panther to commit to the Orange this month. On June 9, QB Rex Culpepper picked Syracuse over offers from Florida, Miami and Clemson, among others. Last season Bradshaw ...Read more

Admiral Farragut defensive back Craig Watts committed to the University of Wisconsin during a weekend visit to the school. Watts, who is a four-star recruit and considered the 16th best player at his position by 247sports.com, had nearly 40 offers, including Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Alabama. ...Read more

Chamberlain receiver DJ Daniels ended his recruitment process Thursday by committing to Virginia. Daniels, a 6-foot, 180-pound senior, picked the Cavaliers over offers from five other schools – Buffalo, Georgia, New Mexico, Purdue and USF. Last season, Daniels led the Chiefs with 407 yards receiving, which accounted for nearly half ...Read more

Clearwater Central Catholic linebacker John Chiaramonte committed to Air Force on Thursday. Chiaramonte made the decision despite not visiting the campus. He said he had a verbal offer from USF that could have turned into an official one this weekend. But he decided the Air Force was the best fit. ...Read more

Tampa Catholic tight end Tre McKitty announced via Twitter on Tuesday that he has committed to Miami. McKitty, a junior who transferred from Wesley Chapel in the spring, had 15 offers from schools such as Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee. He picked the Hurricanes during a visit to the Coral ...Read more

Plant quarterback Rex Culpepper has committed to Syracuse, coach Robert Weiner confirmed Tuesday. The rising senior chose the Orangemen over 16 other Division I offers. Culpepper, a 6-foot-3, 225-pounder, threw for 2,016 yards and 20 touchdowns last season, leading Plant to a Class 8A region semifinal before the Panthers fell ...Read more

Pinellas Park infielders Zachary Roberts and Ryan Griffith both committed to colleges this week. Roberts will attend Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Alabama. Griffith will attend Milligan College in Tennessee. Roberts hit .500 in 26 games with the Patriots this season. He had nine home runs, 23 RBIs, 19 ...Read more

Special reports

For the past five years, the Florida High School Athletic Association has made sure its coaches were educated about concussions. Now it's making sure student-athletes are as well. Beginning this athletic season, all high school athletes in Florida must complete courses on concussions provided by the National Federation of State ...Read more

New series We’ll be examining athletes and academics throughout the 2015-16 school year. RIVERVIEW — On most summer days, Dale Caparaso spends his mornings alone at home. During June and July, the classrooms at Spoto High School — where Caparaso has taught special education and coached football since 2008 — ...Read more

Indian Rocks Christian pitcher Oakley Albinson’s stellar sophomore season has led to some prestigious invitations this summer. Albinson has been invited to the Prep Baseball Report Futures Games in Indianapolis on July 30-Aug. 1. He will also participate in the Perfect Game Underclass All-American Games in San Diego on Aug. ...Read more

On Monday afternoon, Plant’s first workout since senior quarterback Rex Culpepper tore his ACL in a weekend 7-on-7 tournament, coach Robert Weiner began the day by reminding his team that the season wasn’t over; to stay motivated out of respect for their teammate. Culpepper, who threw for 2,016 yards and ...Read more

East Lake’s Bob Hudson, who walked away as football coach two weeks ago, had a change of heart and returned to the program on Monday, athletic coordinator Tim O’Keefe said. Hudson initially announced his resignation on July 6 to take another job outside of the teaching and coaching profession. But ...Read more

A football combine for local high school players will be held Saturday at Clearwater Central Catholic. The combine, which is hosted by the Ultimate Stomping Ground training facility in Clearwater, runs from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The cost is $60 for players who have not pre-registered. The combine will feature timed ...Read more

Fivay has hired John Diehl as its new football coach. Diehl, 59, brings more than 30 years of high school coaching experience to the Falcons. He spent the spring as an assistant coach at Hernando High School, working with the offensive line. Prior to Hernando, he was the head coach ...Read more

TAMPA – In the past two seasons, Clearwater has gone from a winless program to a respectable one. Now, coming off a 4-6 season, the Tornadoes are taking the steps this offseason in 7-on-7 tournaments to become a legitimate playoff contender. For the second straight weekend, Clearwater advanced to the ...Read more

Plant High coach Robert Weiner confirmed that quarterback Rex Culpepper, a Syracuse commit, tore his ACL Saturday at USF’s Sling N Shoot 7-on-7 tournament and is out for the season. “Incredibly devastating,” Weiner said. “(Rex) is the most amazing kid and one of the hardest workers I have ever met. ...Read more

Tampa Catholic tight end and Miami commit Tre' McKitty has transferred to IMG Academy, Crusaders coach Mike Gregory confirmed Friday. McKitty is the second Crusader to depart for IMG this offseason. In January, four-star defensive end and Ohio State commit Malik Barrow transferred, leaving a huge hole on Tampa Catholic's ...Read more

After 57 days at St. Joseph’s Hospital following a jet ski accident, Sunlake linebacker and fullback Xavier Johnson will likely be transferred this week to a rehabilitation hospital in Jacksonville, Seahawks coach Bill Browning said Monday. Johnson was tubing with fellow Sunlake teammate Tyler Peretti on May 16 when he ...Read more

Tampa Bay Buccaneer receiver Louis Murphy, a former standout at Lakewood, is holding a free camp for football players and cheerleaders on Saturday. The camp, held at Lakewood, is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is open to kids ages 8-18. Online registration is closed. Those interested can register ...Read more

East Lake football coach Bob Hudson, who led the program to the state semifinals the past two seasons, said he has stepped down after 12 seasons to pursue a career opportunity outside of the teaching and coaching worlds. “It was a tough decision, but now was the time to do ...Read more

TAMPA — Even in 7-on-7, Armwood's defense ruled the day. The Hawks rallied to win in overtime against Countryside to make it to its third straight Battle of the Bay tournament champion­ship appearance Saturday. And though it trailed host Jefferson early, Armwood made two stops and picked off Cade Weldon ...Read more

SEFFNER — They didn't really miss wide receiver Trevor Laurent, Armwood coach Sean Callahan admits thinking to himself, as his Hawks continued to roll over every regular-season opponent they faced last year. Laurent, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound rising senior whose athleticism more than makes up for his small stature, was disciplined ...Read more

Countryside already has an edge over the four other teams in the newly formed Class 7A, District 10 at one of the most important positions: quarterback. The Cougars’ Trent Chmelik, a senior, is the only quarterback in the district who is returning as a starter after St. Petersburg’s Austyn Causey ...Read more

Cambridge Christian DE Richard Gouraige may still be years away from a possible career in the NFL, but last week, the rising sophomore got a taste of what a career in football might look — both on and off the field. Gouraige was one of 41 rising sophomores across the ...Read more

Malik Cobb and DeAndre Hopkins, two of Gulf’s top playmakers, have officially enrolled at Tarpon Springs. Both arrived this week for conditioning with the Spongers. “I don’t know much about them yet, but I’m sure they can help us out,” first-year Tarpon Springs coach Mike Lube said of Cobb and ...Read more

One of the biggest tasks for Wiregrass Ranch is finding a replacement for quarterback Shane Bucenell, who graduated. The Bulls have no shortage of candidates. Chris Faddoul, a junior, returns after throwing for 182 yards and a touchdown last season. Another junior, Austin Sessums, transferred from Wesley Chapel, where he ...Read more

Boca Ciega is holding a satellite camp Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. Florida A&M is running the camp with coaches from Cincinnati, Eastern Kentucky, Marshall, Massachusetts and Nebraska in attendance. Registration is from 8-9 a.m. The cost is $25 and players can pay upon arrival. Satellite camps allow coaches ...Read more

Former Boca Ciega and Florida Atlantic basketball player Latavia Dempsey has signed a professional contract with Valur Club in Reykjavik, Iceland. Dempsey was a second team all state selection in 2009 as a senior at Boca Ciega. She helped lead the Pirates to three state Final Four appearances and a ...Read more

Jeff Campbell, a 2011 Clearwater Central Catholic graduate, won the College Home Run Derby on July 2 in Omaha. Campbell competed against seven other college players. He defeated Wake Forest's Will Craig in the final round, 10-5. Campbell also set a home run derby record when he hit 20 home ...Read more

Osceola announced the hiring of Gibbs assistant Bob Patton as its boys basketball coach on Thursday. Patton replaces Jeremy Crane, who stepped down in March after six seasons. There were 52 applicants for the position. The list was whittled down to 10 finalists before a committee decided on Patton this ...Read more

Seminole volleyball coach Dexter Rogers is leaving the program to become the coach at Palm Harbor University. Rogers replaces Tara Kuk, who resigned as the Hurricanes coach after 12 seasons. Kuk led PHU to nine playoff appearances, including seven straight. This past season the Hurricanes were 24-5 and advanced to ...Read more

Samson Moore was named the state’s Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year on Friday. Moore, who recently graduated from Gaither, is the first male athlete from the bay area to win the award since former Gibbs standout Trayvon Bromell (now at Baylor) in 2013 and the first from Hillsborough County ...Read more

Last week, Tampa Catholic’s Kevin Knox went to Argentina, his first trip to a foreign country. He visited the beaches in Buenos Aires before heading to Bahia Blanca to tour the Land Plaza Hotel, which is owned by San Antonio Spurs star Manu Ginobili. Mostly, though, Knox played basketball. After ...Read more

Golden State’s Marreese Speights played a total of two minutes in the final four games of the NBA finals. He scored one point during that span. Still, the diminished role mattered little to Speights Tuesday night after the Warriors beat Cleveland to win the series 4-2. In the postgame revelry, ...Read more

On June 8, Plant became the first Tampa Bay area high school to have two players selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball first-year player's draft. One week later, the Panthers are no longer draftees, but professional baseball players. No. 5 overall pick Kyle Tucker — who ...Read more

Florida State’s Kala Funderburk knew she had a difficult task to win what had been an elusive 400 meter title at the NCAA Division I track and field championships. The former Lakewood standout was assigned to lane eight, perhaps the toughest lane, in Saturday’s final. Not only would Funderburk have ...Read more

By now, it has become the norm for Baylor sprinter Trayvon Bromell to run the 100 meters in under 10 seconds. After all, the former Gibbs standout had posted five sub-9.95 times this season in his signature event, including a 9.90 in Wednesday’s semifinals at the NCAA Track and Field ...Read more

Pinellas Pitcher of the Year: Tim Luth, Sr., Dunedin Season stats: 9-1, 0.87 ERA, 51 strikeouts in 56 innings Season highlight: Luth said there was no particular game that stood out. Instead, he said the highlight was being able to play with friends he has known since elementary school. “We’ve ...Read more

Pinellas Player of the Year: Logyn Lilley, Sr., Palm Harbor University Why we picked her: Lilley was the veteran on a team with a combined 13 freshmen and sophomores on the roster. She provided leadership, as well as some pop at the plate. This season, Lilley hit a career-high .729 ...Read more

A list of the current/former local high school and small college players drafted on Day 3: RHP Tommy Peterson, River Ridge/USF (12th, 374th, Nationals) CF Trey Amburgey, St. Petersburg College (13th, 393rd, Yankees) RHP Tanner Anderson, Plant/Harvard (20th, 607th, Pirates) SS Giovanny Alfonzo, University of Tampa (21st, 626th, Marlins) RHP ...Read more